Solace
by Thus Spake The Pancake
Summary: Mokuba confronts his biggest fear with someone currently going through it.


Solace

( _A/N: This takes place shortly after 'The Gift' in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It takes place anytime after season one in Yu-Gi-Oh, take your pick._ )

There was something seriously off about the entire town, and Mokuba had picked up on it from the start. It wasn't anything obvious or definite, but there was certainly an undertone of insecurity everywhere he went. It was as though everything was normal on the surface, but something was very different and very wrong, and Mokuba could barely stand it.

While his big brother was in a meeting that morning, his tolerance threshold for the town's discomfort was crossed. He shrugged on a light jacket, locked the hotel door, and began to wander down the street. Only a few minutes went by before he regretted the choice of wearing a jacket at all; California got hot pretty early. He pushed up the long sleeves as he turned onto a paved path he thought was leading to a park, only to find that he was entering a cemetery.

Having nothing else to do for a few hours and not wanting to go back to the hotel to stew in ennui all morning by his lonesome, Mokuba continued to trek onwards. The place was really beautiful, what with the sun illuminating the drops of water still hanging out on the grass and other plants from the morning rain showers, making the graveyard shimmer and seem alive somehow. He was about to go sit on a nearby bench, until a young girl with long brown hair caught his eye.

She was sitting Indian-style in front of what appeared to be a fresh grave. Grass hadn't gotten a chance to grow over where the earth had been disturbed, even though a headstone had already been placed. She was arranging an assortment of flowers all around it, but what Mokuba really noticed were the small rocks placed across the top of the grave marker in a straight line.

"What do those stones mean? The ones on top," he asked, surprising not only himself, but also the girl sitting in front of him. She turned around to look at him, initially alarmed, but relaxed when she realized the intruder was just a kid.

"It's just something my friends and I did. They're visitation stones, to show respect. It's a Jewish tradition, according to my sister's Jewish best friend-and I'm babbling, sorry." She started fiddling with some of the flowers again, although Mokuba couldn't tell if it was out of nervousness or necessity. But when he saw teardrops fall onto the petals, he knew it wasn't either.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you," Mokuba said, albeit somewhat awkwardly. The girl sniffled and wiped her eyes, then shook her head.

"No, you didn't interrupt me at all. I actually appreciate the distraction. Things have been really… _different_ …this past week…" She stood up and forced a smile. "My name's Dawn."

"Oh…I'm Mokuba," he said, suddenly embarrassed. People around here were usually confused by the name. "I know, my name's a little…different…too."

Dawn snorted a little and wiped another tear away. "It's not that bad. I mean, her name was _Buffy_."

She was motioning at the grave, and sure enough, the only visible part of the epitaph read "Buffy Anne Summers," along with a birth and death date. Mokuba smiled lightly before looking back at the girl.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Did your friend die suddenly?"

"She wasn't a friend, she was my big sister," Dawn corrected, fresh tears appearing in her eyes. "But…yeah. I guess you could say it was unexpected. And avoidable, if only she'd let me go instead…"

"Your big sister?" Mokuba echoed, feeling his heart drown inside his chest. His mind flashed back to the young man in the business meeting at the hotel, probably bored enough to _wish_ he were dead. He thought about all the times he almost had lost Seto, and his chest tightened up so much he lost his breath for a second. He shook his head to eliminate the sudden dizziness and looked at her sadly. "I have an older brother. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him, he's the only family I have left."

Dawn nodded. "My sister was my only family. My mom died a couple months ago. Well, I guess I have a dad in theory, but he's kind of…nowhere."

Mokuba considered all that for a moment as he stared at the grave. He couldn't help feeling a little mad at the dead girl rotting beneath their feet; did she not realize what her death would mean? Why would anyone put their sibling through something like this?

"If you don't mind me asking…what happened?"

The girl let out a strangled-sounding chuckle and wiped even more tears away. "Something tells me you wouldn't believe me if I told you, so I'll just say…she died saving my life." She shook her head and ran a hand through her long hair. "Even though hers meant so much more…she shouldn't have done this…"

Mokuba was quiet for a moment, considering this information. He understood what Dawn was saying; after all, he felt the same way whenever Seto put his life in danger for him. But he also knew how his brother felt in those times, and anybody who knew that level of love didn't see their own life as even remotely relevant in such a situation.

He continued to study the grave, the anger he had at Buffy draining faster than water being poured from a glass.

"I would probably believe what happened if you told me, but it's really not important. My brother and I have been through some…stuff…too. I don't really understand most of it, and he likes to deny it, but…I do know that he's always protected me through everything, and he'd do it all again. And I think your sister would, too."

Dawn seemed to consider that for a moment. She nodded and crossed her arms, then looked directly at Mokuba. "Thank you. That means a lot. I just…it's hard knowing I'll never see her again."

A long period of silence and understanding fell between them, until Dawn excused herself and disappeared into somewhere else in the cemetery. Mokuba stayed at Buffy's grave for a while longer, feeling oddly connected and not wanting to leave her alone there, until the most familiar voice in the world broke through his thoughts.

"Mokuba, what are you doing here?"

He whirled around to find Seto standing a few feet behind him, arms crossed and frowning.

"Is something wrong? Did someone drag you here? What happened?"

Mokuba shook his head. "No, no one made me come here…I just went for a walk and ended up here."

Seto looked from the grave his little brother had been fixated on, and then back to the child, still unsure about what was going on.

"This is Buffy," Mokuba blurted out. "She died…"

"Well, I would hope that's why she's buried here…" Seto said, giving the kid an odd look. "Mokuba, what's wrong?"

The little Kaiba drew in a breath and looked back at the grave. "Her sister was here putting the flowers and rocks on the grave. She said her that she died saving her life." He turned around and launched himself around his big brother's waist. "Never do that for me."

Mokuba felt one of his brother's hands on his head and his other hand on his back. They held each other in silence for a bit before Seto lowered himself to Mokuba's height, placed his hands on his shoulders, and looked him directly in the eyes.

"You know I'd do that for you in a heartbeat."

Mokuba burst into tears and collapsed into his brother's arms, savoring the warmth and affection Seto conveyed as his arms tightened around the child. He couldn't help crying uncontrollably for a short time as he thought about how Dawn would never be hugged by her sister ever again.

Even though the act of sacrificing one's life for another seemed really noble –and for some, even natural– Mokuba couldn't help focusing on the coldness that would occur after the fact. The pain of being left behind, the tragedy of loss, the anguish of never again…would his life really be worth living with all of that? And without Seto? It didn't seem fair. Sure, everything in life came with a price, but the cost of sacrifice didn't seem worth it for either party involved. Maybe the real answer in life was for it to just take its natural course, and to not intervene…no matter what that meant.

And just hope it never happened to them.


End file.
